Mark of Destiny
by Vegetas-Princess
Summary: [On Hiatus]...Sooner or later, the devil will see, he's captured the Mark of Destiny, and the law of the land will give way to old, for the warrior burning with the fire of gold...
1. From out of the darkness

Guess what? New fic! Lol, ok I don't really have a whole lot to say this time, except check out the rest of this site, and sign up to post your ficcies, I'm paying bunches for the space, and it's gonna be sorta pointless if no one uses it. J And with that said…

On with the fic!!

Disclaimer: In case of emergency, break glass. Scream. Bleed to death.

_ Huge thanks to MistyDea and Crystalline Maxwell for beta-ing!!_

Mark Of Destiny

Chapter One: ...From out of the darkness...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To most, Love is a beautiful thing, fragile and sweet. To be in love, they say, is to be truly happy.

But to some, love is a vile creature. It rears it's ugly head at the most inopportune of times, capturing you, making you it's slave, and ultimately breaking your heart.

To these people, love is a four letter word.

Prince Vegeta, only son of the Royal family of Vegeta-sei, was one such person. At a mere eighteen years old, Vegeta's heart could have rivaled the arctic.

Cold, Barren, and completely unfeeling.

He slaughtered entire families while they slept in their beds, took slaves as young as six years old, and had been known to kill people simply because they'd taken too long when he'd called them.

All in all, NOT someone you wanted to meet in a dark alley.

Though he was still unaware of it, he'd sealed his own fate, as well as the fate his kingdom less than a month ago when he'd ordered the purge of the planet Earth to please Lord Frieza, until the day he could defeat him, that was, but that's another story entirely. Frieza's defeat lay not in the hands of Vegeta himself, contrary to what one might think, but in the hands of another. A young girl he barely even remembered meeting. A girl that would one day either save his life, or betray him to the very tyrant he had planned to murder.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bulma Briefs didn't cry when her planet was purged, not even one tiny tear. Not when she'd discovered that she was one of only two surviving humans, or when her fears that Son Goku and the others hadn't escaped before time ran out were confirmed. Her eyes had remained completely dry for the entire trip to the planet she was now to call home.

When she'd seen her mother and father killed before her very eyes, the tears had stopped flowing, and become more of a frozen river within her, begging for escape. But no escape would come. She's made a vow to never let the Saiyans see her cry again... Never let them see her true feelings.

So, when she discovered that she was to live the rest of her life out in the harems, she merely nodded in reply, before taking a seat on the cold floor of her captor's ship, never uttering a word as the tiny piece of what was left of her shattered. No tears fell, however, and this pleased the Saiyans. 

Whores were more fun when they were broken. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They arrived on the planet at half past one in the afternoon, but there was no fanfare, no royal welcome. Only half a dozen guards, and the Prince (though Bulma didn't know him at the time) were present when they landed, causing fear to well up within Bulma's chest. There were six girls total, and she was not a firm believer in coincidence, so the luck that there just happened to be as many guards as girls was a bit... unnerving.

"THIS is what I'm here for?" The man who she would soon come to find was Prince Vegeta quipped. "These vile, disgusting creatures are the best you could find?"

"Their planets weren't exactly well known for their beautiful women, my lord." Another Saiyan spoke softly, his voice dripping with hatred toward the women.

Bulma's blood began to boil. They'd not been allowed to shower in nearly three weeks, longer for some, their hair was matted, and they wore the same blood and gore covered clothes they'd been wearing since the day they'd been captured. She remained silent; despite the fact that she was sure she was going to bite straight THROUGH her tongue.

"They'll do... It's been awhile since the third class men have had any action, anyway." He chuckled, before walking carefully to the end of the line away from Bulma. "I'm going to give you all a choice, life in the harems, or a swift death." He approached the first girl, a brown haired girl of no more than fourteen. She shivered a bit at the close proximity, but stood her ground. "Your choice?" He asked, and ran a hand along the outline of her face.

"I'd rather die." She replied, before raising her head and spitting directly into the Saiyan No Ouji's face.

Vegeta merely wiped the slime away, before speaking again. "Ah, ah, ah... I was being nice, and THAT'S how you repay me? Death, my dear, you shall have, but not the swift one I would've given you earlier. No, I think... slowly... slowly, painfully, and as degradingly as possible. Yes, I think that's just the route for you. Nappa?"

One of the Saiyan guards stepped forward then, a tall, bald man that dwarfed everyone else in the room. "Sir?" The man called Nappa asked as he walked toward the prince.

"Send her, naked, to the third class training camp, with the strict orders that they share." He replied, his eyes shining sadistically. 

"She's only a child!" Karen, the other Earth Woman, spoke up sending Prince Vegeta whirling around to face her.

"A child, hmm? Well, I'll tell you what, if you're so concerned with her welfare, you can accompany her." And with a mere nod of his head, the two women were drug away to their fates. "Let it be known that I tolerate NOTHING. What's just happened is merely a sampling of what I'm truly capable of. Never forget that." He turned then to the next woman in line, who muttered a quick

"Please sire, let me die quickly." And before Bulma's eyes could even register it, the woman's lifeless body fell to the floor, a smoking hole through her chest the only evidence that anything had even happened to her.

Surprisingly, both of the other girls chose death over being a whore and they were both murdered a mere second after the word was uttered.

Finally, it was Bulma's turn.

"Let me guess, death?" Vegeta asked, obviously bored with the entire situation.

Bulma hesitated only for a moment before giving her answer, one that would change her world forever.

"No, my lord, I choose to live."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta merely blinked for a moment, before erupting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. "My lord, eh? Hmm... Perhaps you'll do after all. Raditz?"

Yet another guard stepped forward then, his long hair nearly long enough to sweep the floor. He stepped forward then and bowed to the smaller man.

"Escort Miss..." Vegeta looked to Bulma for her last name then, and she gladly obliged, eager to get as far away from the sadistic Prince as possible.

"Briefs, sir."

"...Escort Miss Briefs to her chambers, and have one of the servants come by to tidy her up a bit. She learns the ropes tonight."

"I swear it will be done." Raditz replied, before grabbing Bulma roughly by the arm, and dragging her from the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Bulma had never expected her chambers to be anything more than a cell of some sort, with stone walls and the like.

Therefore, she'd never expected to be treated as royalty.

Raditz took one look at her astonished face, and gave a small laugh. "Prince Vegeta insists that all concubines be treated the best they can. You'll have the finest things money can offer, but I wouldn't get too comfy. Most of the girls never survive their first night." He spoke, before walking down a long hallway toward the back of Bulma's, what she would later call, apartment. "This is your bedroom; all of your business will be conducted here. Your restroom can be found through that door, and your closet's over there. Other than that, I think you can pretty much figure out where things are." He spoke softly before exiting the room. "Good luck Miss Briefs, I must admit, I do hope to be seeing you again." He spoke with a wink. He then exited Bulma's apartment with the soft swoosh of the door, and she fell to the ground, exhausted.

She slept where she'd fallen, amid the plush white carpeting of her living room, only to wake again what felt like a few moments later to an insistent banging on her door.

"Miss Briefs?" A small voice called through the door, even as Bulma rushed to pull it open.

"I'm so sorry..." Bulma called back, but the rest of her words died in her throat as she saw who stood there. It was a girl of no more than eleven years of age, her arms loaded down with towels and things of the like.

"Good day Miss Briefs, I'm Sari, the Prince sent me to make sure you were prepared for the festival." The young girl spoke, her voice light and melodic.

"Festival?" Bulma asked, genuinely confused.

"Yes ma'am. Lord Frieza joins us tonight, so there is to be a festival. All free women are required to attend."

Without thinking, Bulma asked stupidly, "Why?"

Sari never missed a beat, however, and replied with, "Well, Miss Briefs, if YOU don't know why you're here, then I'm surely not going to be the one to tell you."

Bulma thought about that answer, and replied with a simple "Oh..."

Sari laughed, however, and entered the room. She headed directly for the bathroom, Bulma following closely behind.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Prince Vegeta?" Raditz spoke quietly as he entered the great ballroom, where Vegeta could be found supervising last minute touch ups for the festival.

"Raditz. I assume you delivered what's her name safely to her room."

"Miss Briefs, sire. And I did. Sari should be tending to her even as we speak."

"Well done. Now, run along and make sure the elite forces are prepared for tonight. I won't have them showing up in dirty armor and pissing off his lizardship."

"As you wish, my lord." Raditz replied, before exiting the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bulma sighed as she stepped into the hot bath water, the first actual water she'd seen in weeks. It was a whirlpool type bath tub, and even though her skin was covered in dried blood, and dirt, the water was circulated so quickly that the water never even remotely turned dirty. "This tub is really remarkable.. I wish we'd had one of these at home." Bulma spoke to the younger girl, who was at that moment attempting to wash the grime out of Bulma's hair.

"You are home now, and the sooner you realize that, the easier life will be for you." She replied before giving a victorious cheer when she managed to untangled a large section of hair.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After nearly an hour of scrubbing, Bulma finally emerged from the bath, clad only in a towel.

"Miss Briefs! If you'll come to your bedroom, I'll assist you in dressing." Sari called from Bulma's large walk-in closet.

Bulma walked into the room, and gasped. There, lying on the bed was one of the most beautiful dresses she'd ever laid eyes on. "That's MINE?" She gasped out as she walked over and lightly fingered the shimmering fabric.

"Yes ma'am... That it is. Now, if you'll excuse my rushing you, we are on a bit of a tight schedule." Sari replied as she exited the closet, shoes in hand.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There now, that wasn't too terribly bad, was it? All I can tell you is to stay tuned, because the good stuff should be happening soon. J Oh, and if I get enough reviews, good or bad, (preferably good), I might (read WILL) be enticed to post the next chap tomorrow, so whaddya say? Let's see if this site's review system works, shall we? J

Love ya!

~*Chante*~ 


	2. From the land of Ice

Mark Of Destiny

Chapter Two: ...From the land of Ice...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A large ship could be seen entering Vegeta-sei's atmosphere, heading for the docking port on the planet below.. Banners waved majestically in the breeze, lending a sort of proud beauty to the blood red planet. Thousands of guards, peasants, and the entire royal family were gather around where the ship was to land, some wearing scowls, some wearing frowns, and some looking on with a sort of anxious fear.

The ship landed then, sending a collective murmur through the population.

A creature with a short, sleek, white body emerged from the ship, surrounded by guards. He licked his large purple lips hungrily as he walked down the long red carpet that was drawn out before him.

"King Vegeta!" The tyrant spoke, his voice high and shrill, "How are you?"

"Very well, Lord Frieza." Vegeta's father replied, his cape billowing behind him in the breeze. "I assume you remember my son, Vegeta."

"My my my.. How he's grown. Tell me, Vegeta, when are you going to finally come work for me?"

Vegeta swallowed the bile that rose into his throat at the question, and replied with a mere "Perhaps one day, my Lord."

Frieza chuckled at the boy before turning back to the king. "King Vegeta, I must say, I'm rather anxious about this festival you've arranged. Saiyans are quite well known for their parties, and I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about."

"Well, Lord Frieza, if you'd like, I can show you to your quarters where you can freshen up a bit it you'd like."

"Very well." The lizard replied as he licked his lips again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Bulma arrived at the festival, the party was already well in motion. Sari had told her to speak with one of the Elite soldiers, that they would tell her where she was to wait until called upon. The Elites, she was told, would be recognizable by the large Falcon on the breast plate of their armor. So, the first thing Bulma did was start examining Saiyans for Falcons on their armor. It didn't take her long to realize, however, that nearly ever man present was an Elite soldier, so she soon became overwhelmed as to which one to ask. A moment later, though, a tap on her shoulder sent her whirling around, only to come face to face with none other than Raditz.

"May I ask your name and rank, my lady?" He spoke softly, and it was all Bulma could do not to burst into a fit of laughter.

"My name, sir, is Bulma Briefs, as for my rank, I have none." She replied, obviously pleased in the fact that she'd not been recognized.

"Miss Briefs? Well now, I must say THIS is a surprise." He spoke, before allowing his eyes to trail over her tiny body. The top of her dress was actually a blood red corset which exposed the tops of her two ample, milky white, breasts. He lowered his eyes then to her small waist, marveling in the fact that if he were to place his hands upon it, they would fit nearly completely around. The skirt of her dress was the same blood red color with small diamond like crystals woven into the shimmering fabric. Her feet were completely hidden from view, but Raditz didn't seem to mind, his eyes had trailed back up her body to her face, which struck him as more beautiful than the rest of her. With Crystalline blue eyes, and hair to match, she was obviously one of the greater beauties of her planet, despite the statements made when she'd been taken off of the ship.

"Sir? I'm not sure if you can help me, but I'm really not sure as to where I'm supposed to be." She spoke after a moment of his heated stares.

"Hmm? Oh, yes.. This way." He stated as he led her across the room to a long table off to the side. There, he introduced her to Kyra, manager of the harems.

"Ah, you must be Bulma", the woman spoke, her voice containing the same familiar ringing that she'd heard earlier from Sari's.

"I am. And I'm a tad bit embarrassed to say that I have no idea what I'm doing."

Kyra merely chuckled, before shooing Raditz away and taking Bulma by the hand. "Don't be embarrassed. No one here knew what to expect when they arrived, and I dare say that no one can ever tell them what's to happen. For some, as I'm sure you've already heard, they're killed before the morning. But those are amateurs, people who've never engaged in sexual activities before."

Bulma gulped.

"Oh dear. I was assuming from your beauty and the way you carried yourself that you'd...been with a man..." Kyra answered, obviously a tad more worried than she had been before.

"No ma'am.. I never have."

"How old are you, Bulma? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Seventeen tomorrow." She replied, sadly.

"Bulma, my advice to you four hours ago would have been to ask for death. But since you did not, all I can do is show you the ropes, and tell you what's expected of you. I wish I could offer more." Kyra replied before taking the girl by the hand and pulling her to the corner of the room.

"If any man propositions you, you can either take the proposition, or refuse. But, if you refuse, know this.. You should always pray that a stronger man comes along. Because I guarantee you that if you refuse, they're going to try to kill you."

"What good would it do to find a stronger one? I seriously doubt if any Saiyan would fight over a whore." She spoke bitterly, before realizing that the woman beside her was a concubine as well. Bulma tried to apologize, but was quickly silenced by Kyra's finger to her lips.

"It makes no matter, Bulma. I've been called worse, and I'm still here. As for a Saiyan fighting for a whore, it does, actually, happen. Not always, mind you, so don't get to comfortable with that idea. But sometimes. Saiyans are very protective over what they feel is theirs, and even if you're a whore, for that night, you're THEIR whore."

Bulma nodded in understanding, though she suddenly felt sick at the thought of being a Saiyan whore, even for one night.

Kyra noticed this, but made no comment. There was no time to baby the girl. She'd knowingly lived, even when she knew what life meant. The rest was up to her. "Saiyans are by no means gentle creatures, with exception of a few, and their sex life is no exception. They're, as a rule, very dominant creatures, so my best advice to you is do as they tell you, and do it quickly."

"I hope I can do that." Bulma replied honestly, before taking a seat in a nearby chair. Kyra followed closely behind her.

"Don't let it worry you, Bulma, I'm sure you'll do fine. for now, let's just concentrate on keeping your mind OFF of everything else, ok?"

"Consider it done." She replied with a laugh.

"Do you have any questions about anything? Anything at all?"

"Nothing really. I don't actually know anything about this place, or anything like that. Care to fill me in?"

"Basically all I know I've told you. The Saiyans have lived here for all of time, each generation's hatred and intelligence flourishing more than the last. There is a legend in the Saiyan Kingdom that one of royal blood will glow golden and banish the planet's fears for all eternity. But legends says that can only be accomplished by one with pure blood, and an impure heart."

"Prince Vegeta." Bulma muttered softly, obviously catching the woman off guard.

"Yes, but how did you..."

"No, I mean Prince Vegeta." She replied as she clamored to her feet. Kyra followed her. rather quickly, and glanced around to see none other than Prince Vegeta walking toward them. He was about four feet away, when Nappa ran up to him suddenly, spoke something into his ear, and they both headed the opposite direction, a look of concern on their faces.

"Well, I must say, that's odd.. Oh well, whatever it is, it's out of our hands." Kyra said as she seated herself again, and picked up her tale again. "As I'm sure you figured out, the people expect this Super Saiyan to be Prince Vegeta, but there is also another legend that involves him, one that's even more confusing that the last."

"And that is?"

"Probably an old wives tale, and nothing you need to concern yourself over."

"Come on! Tell me! Besides, look at it this way, I won't be able to tell anyone."

"And why, pray tell, is that?"

"Because I'll be dead tomorrow, remember?" Bulma replied, for some reason, with a smile.

"Oh yes, well, that's true. Fine, but if you DO happen to live, don't tell a soul... Only selected people are 

supposed to know about this."

"And just how do YOU know?"

"Let's just say, I slept with the King." She replied with a grin, then continued on. "There's supposedly an ancient riddle speaking of Prince Vegeta. It's a poem, so forgive me if it takes me a moment to remember.. I'm horrible with poetry."

_"From out of the darkness_

_ From the land of Ice_

_ Two hearts will be bound by the_

_ Fortress of light_

_ Two worlds will shake_

_ two worlds will fall_

_ And then will come one_

_ To rule them all_

_ The wars must be won_

_ The playing fields leveled_

_ By love's sacrifice _

_ In the arms of the devil_

_ A sacrifice made _

_ For the dark Prince's life_

_ To live in a world without worry or strife_

_ But the day will come that the devil will see_

_ He's captured the Mark of Destiny_

_ And the law of the world will give way to old_

_ For the warrior burning with the fire of gold."_

"That's more than a tad bit eerie," Bulma mumbled once Kyra had finished speaking.

"Tell me about it. I can't blame the guy for having issues." Kyra replied, before glancing at her watch, and climbing to her feet. "Gah! Quickly! We've sat here for so long that I've yet to check on the other girls!" She cried as she drug Bulma behind her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Vegeta!" The King called to his son just as he rushed into the room. "I've just received word from Lord Frieza that he's ordering a purge on Planet Namek."

"And that has what to do with me?"

"He's ordering that you head it."

"He's ordering that I WHAT?"

"Ah yes, I knew you'd be thrilled." The king replied, before standing from his throne. "I don't really know what to tell you. You can, of course, refuse to go.. But as for what that might mean, I'm not sure. I doubt highly if Lord Frieza would just forgive you such a thing."

"I do more than doubt it.. I know it. I'll head the mission.. But how many of our men are going?" Vegeta asked warily.

"You're actually allowed to take whomever you'd like.. Elites and whatnot.. But I'd be careful.. There's no telling what that creature's up to. Take only those men that you know you can trust, and nothing more."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Just as Bulma and Kyra made it back to their table, the trumpets began sounding, and a large, lizard-like man made his way up the red carpet and toward a large throne at the center of the room.

"That's Lord Frieza." Kyra whispered quietly.

"Scary." Bulma replied, equally hushed.

"People of Vegeta-sei," The tyrant spoke, his voice high pitched but terrifying all at once, "As I'm sure you know, this festival is to mark the beginning of what I hope will be a long and prosperous relationship between the Saiyans and the Ice-jins.."

"The land of ice." Bulma gasped, earning her a heated glare from Kyra.

"Shhh... He'll have your head if he hears you." Kyra snapped, before turning her attention back to the lizard.

"I'm well aware that some of you have some doubts about the peace treaty signed by the King, and this is something I **Do Not **want. So, to set aside some of the fears you might be having, I've asked Prince Vegeta himself to man the next purging mission, headed for Planet Namek."

There were several gasps, multiple oohs and ahs, and a few hushed whispers within the population, all things that the tyrant had obviously hoped for, if the large grin on his face showed anything of his demeanor.

The trumpets sounded again, but this time, everyone bowed to their King and Prince as they walked down the carpet and toward Lord Frieza.

"Ah, Vegeta... I was just telling the people of your acceptance of my offer." The lizard spoke with a smile upon his face.

"Were you? Well, since you've already told them, I suppose there's nothing more for me to say." Vegeta spat, his voice dripping with unchecked malice.

"Careful, little prince." Frieza whispered to Vegeta as he passed, and the eighteen year old heir to the throne could not help but shiver slightly.

"Why does Vegeta look so frightened around him?" Bulma whispered to her new found friend, who merely shrugged in reply.

"To be honest, no one knows." It's possible perhaps that even Vegeta doesn't know of the prophecy pertaining to him. I'm really not sure. But, if Frieza's done, then we should mill around the floor a bit. The people will be dispersing soon, and unless you want what's left over, it's best to find someone quickly."

Bulma merely nodded her head and followed Kyra and the other girls onto the floor to mingle with the guards. She trailed behind Kyra for as long as she could until she lost sight of her, before heading off in her own direction. She couldn't help but laugh to herself at the thought that she was actually to pick the person that would ultimately kill her.. Sort of a morbid sense of humor, perhaps.. But it was all she had, and it was something she was intent on holding onto. She glanced around the room for a moment, trying to decide which direction to go in, when she sighed, and just closed her eyes and started walking.

And promptly bumped into an elite guard.

"Oh, Kami.. I'm so sorry.. I didn't mean.." She began, before being cut off by a finger to her lips.

"Calm down, I don't think I'll be killing you for that." A familiar voice replied, and she looked up, directly into the dark eyes of Raditz.

"Oh, it's you.. Boy am I glad too.. That could've been a rather nasty situation, huh?" She rambled, unobservant to the fact that Raditz's eyes were once again roaming over her small form.

"Tell me, Bulma.. Are you accompanying anyone to their chambers this evening?" He spoke, obviously catching her off guard.

"Uh, um.. well, uh.. no.. But uh, I'm working on it.. I think.. I... um.. hi." She stuttered, her face flushed.

"Well then, would you do me the honor of letting me fill that place? I may not be the most attractive man here, but I can assure you, I'm a hundred times less violent.. In the bedroom, at least." He replied with a wink, and an extended arm.

"Um... ok..." She answered breathlessly, the situation having been entirely different than she had expected. "Uh, am I supposed to do anything before we leave?" She asked quietly, obviously embarrassed by her lack of knowledge in the matter.

"Nothing much.. I do, however, believe you're supposed to tell Kyra so she can mark you off of her list." He replied softly, before leading her in the general direction that Kyra stood. He led her only halfway, however, allowing her to walk the rest of the way on her own, should she need anytime to say something personal. Which she did.

"Um, Kyra.. I think you're supposed to take me off of your list or something like that." Bulma whispered meekly into Kyra's ear.

"What? Already? Are you sure you don't want to wait around to see if someone better comes along?" Kyra asked, thoroughly astounded.

"Well, I'll ask your opinion, I suppose.. what do YOU think I should do?"

"Well, who is it that propositioned you? Do you know his name or rank, or anything of the sort."

"All I know is his name is Raditz.. And he's an Elite, because he has a falcon on his armor."

"Raditz propositioned you? Kami... do you know how long it's been since RADITZ came to the harem girls? He's a man of VERY strict tastes.. But I spoke of him earlier when I said that some Saiyans were gentle men... Bulma, dearest, I do believe you've lucked out this time. Fate has smiled on you, it seems."

Bulma smiled happily for basically the first time that night, before walking back to Raditz, and exiting the room with him, unaware that the eyes of the Prince, and Lord Frieza were firmly locked on her retreating backside.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	3. Two hearts will be bound

Mark of Destiny

Chapter Three: ...Two hearts will be bound...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Now, Miss Briefs, I must ask you, should we attend your chambers or mine?" He asked once they'd exited the crowded ballroom.

Bulma couldn't help but feel that it was a trick question, so she took a moment to recall nearly everything that had been said to her about her duties. There was something she felt she needed to remember... But she couldn't quite... And then, a lightbulb clicked on.

"Why Raditz, you of all people should know, considering you're the one that told **me**. All of my business is to be conducted in my chambers." She replied with a grin.

"Ah good, you **were** listening. I find most of the time that the concubines are well..."

"Ditzy?" She finished for him, earning her yet another smile.

"Exactly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kyra?" The young Prince asked as he approached the older woman.

"Yes, my lord?" She asked in reply as she gave a small curtsy.

"My father would like to know who it was that left with Raditz just now?" He asked simply, feigning disinterest.

"With Raditz? Oh, yes.. Bulma Briefs, my lord.. She joined us this afternoon."

"THAT is the same woman that arrived this afternoon?" Vegeta asked, obviously astonished.

"Yes, sire. I take it she looks differently than before?" Kyra remarked with a sly grin.

"Slightly. It's amazing what they can do with make-up these days." He remarked gruffly, in an attempt to hide his astonishment in Bulma's improved appearance.

"Well sir, tell your_ father _that if he wishes an audience with Bulma, all he need do is ask." She replied as the Prince turned to leave. "Oh, and Prince Vegeta?" She called as he walked away.

"Yes?"

"The same goes for you as well."

The Prince merely blushed and walked away.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

(There was a lemon here, but since I can't post it on ff.net, It's not included. To check out the full, unedited chapter, head over to http://www.ffump.com/fics/story.php?no=27 and take a looksie!)

Bulma lie in his arms for nearly twenty minutes afterward, neither speaking a single word, for fear that their voices would shatter the moment, and the calm serenity that they'd found. Finally, when she could bare the silence no more, she spoke.

"Kami.. you're incredible." She mumbled breathlessly as he fiddled with her hair.

"I've never.. not like that.. You just ignite something inside of me." He replied, before motioning at the window. "It's daylight... My time with you is over now.. But if you're willing, I'd love to see you again.."

"When?" She asked softly, her chest still heaving from uncaught breath.

"Tonight, if you'll permit me."

"Well, I'll have to speak with Kyra first, I imagine.. But if it's up to me, then please.. come."

"Rest well, little one. You're feigning sleep now, I can tell. And rest assured, if it's within my power, you'll never be a whore." He spoke softly, but she was already sound asleep. He kissed her forehead gently, and left the room, a smile playing on his face that no one had seen in years.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta, on the other hand, did not have such a peaceful night. his dreams were haunted by distorted visions of Frieza carrying something very important to Vegeta, but unseen by him, away on his back. There was a great flapping of wings behind him as he watched Frieza leave, and a Falcon emerged from nowhere. The great bird flew directly toward Vegeta, but just as it came within arm's reach, it disappeared.

The dreams were not uncommon.. He'd actually had then all of his life. But there was something more unnerving about this one.. Something...

Real.

After deciding that sleep was no longer an option, the Saiyan No Ouji climbed from his bed and threw on his clothes. Now wide awake, he journeyed the long corridors of the palace, stopping for no apparent reason in front of an unmarked door where loud shrieks and moans could be heard from within. Two ki signatures spiked suddenly from within, and Vegeta couldn't help but laugh to himself. So, Raditz was having a good time with the new whore, eh? Perhaps keeping her around had been worth the while after all.

She was a great beauty, he'd give her that much. From what he was hearing from within, her sexual tendencies left little to be desired either... Perhaps he'd take Kyra up on that offer after all.. Just to see...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Two hours later, Vegeta, who was seated down the hall from Bulma's room, looked up just in time to see Raditz exit and turn to walk in the opposite direction from where he sat.

"Raditz!" Vegeta called, sending the other Saiyan whirling around wildly.

"Yes, my prince?" The man asked quickly, eager to make up for the mistake of not seeing him in the first place.

"At ease. From what I've heard, and the fact that you're just NOW leaving... I assume our new whore meets your standards?"

Raditz nearly snapped at the other man for the use of the word whore pertaining to Bulma, but he quickly checked his anger upon remembering who, exactly, it was that he talking to. "Yes my lord... She was all I expected, and more." He replied honestly.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself so much, because I'm dragging you on this damned purging mission."

"If you don't mind, sir, could you tell me how long we'll be off planet?"

"Not less than three months... Not more than six. Other than that, it's anyone's guess." Vegeta replied, before, for some reason, casting a discreet glance to Bulma's door.

"If I may, sir.. Are we permitted to bring concubines?" Raditz asked, hopefully.

"She's that good, is she?" Vegeta asked, the slight blush that stained Raditz' cheeks not going unnoticed. "As for concubines, you'll have to talk to Kyra. A total of four will be going. Which four, I'm not certain. I will tell you this, however, if your little minx clouds your mind, or comes between you and your job, I'll kill her myself. Is that clear?" Vegeta replied, his voice having gone from joking to malicious in an instant.

"Perfectly clear, my lord."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see his lizardship off. We leave tonight, Raditz, I suggest you be at the docks **no later **than 7:00."

"Yes sir." Raditz replied to the Prince's already retreating figure.

"Kyra..." He mumbled.. He needed to speak with the woman now.. Never mind the fact that his stomach was cramping from hunger pains... Bulma was more important.

Wow... this WAS serious...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bulma woke several hours later to yet another insistent banging at the door. She quickly glanced around the room to find something to cover herself with, before locating a robe and throwing it on.

"Coming!" She called to whomever happened to be on the other side of the door. She opened it, and Kyra burst in instantly, and huge grin plastered on her face.

"It's too early to be happy." Bulma muttered before trudging back toward her bedroom and plopping down on her bed once again.

"Early? Bulma, dear, it's a quarter of five.. Not QUITE what I would call early."

"WHAT?!" Bulma shrieked, obviously a tad bit embarrassed for sleeping as long as she had.

"You heard me! Besides, if we don't hurry, we'll never get you packed!"

"Packed? For what? Where am I going?" Bulma asked, obviously frightened.

"Did neither of them come by to tell you? Sheesh.. that's a man for you. Both Prince Vegeta and Raditz came by my chambers this morning to request that you be one of the girls that went with them on the purging mission." Kyra squeaked out, the grin that had covered her face before was back, only this time, it had increased ten fold.

"Raditz? He wants me to go with him? Really?"

"Really... And let's not forget that Prince Vegeta asked as well. I dare say you've intrigued him."

"Kyra.. how many elites are stronger than Raditz?" Bulma asked, having heard none of what the other woman had said about Vegeta.

"Nappa and Prince Vegeta are the only ones I can think of... With the exception of Noino... and he's gay." She replied with a smile.

"That's it, huh? Not much to worry about...." She mused, much to the other woman's delight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"My lord..." Raditz called as he entered the Elite training grounds where Vegeta stood, watching the soldiers spar.

"Yes, Raditz?" He questioned, without ever turning around to see the bearer of the voice.

"My lord, I just wanted to inform you that the concubine we spoke of earlier was one listed for the trip."

"Your point being?"

"With you permission, sir... I'd like it if Bulma could be housed in my quarters."

"You do, of course, realize that you'll have to beat the others off of her, correct?"

"I realize that, sir.. And I alone will take full responsibility for anything that happens while she's under my supervision."

"Make sure you do, Raditz."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Der we go! And yes, it's a V/B ficcie.. I just felt like throwing a bit of B/R action in there. *Shrugs* What can I say? I'm a special person. :)


	4. By the fortress of light

Hey guys! How're you liking the ficcie so far? Well, I hope you like it at least! :) To the person that asked me about writing a B/R ficcie.. I'll let you in on a secret.. There will actually be a ficcie dedicated solely to them coming out sometime in the near future. If you wanna be notified of updates and such, just send an email to Vegetas-Princess-Update-List-Subscribe@topica.com

Pretty nifty, huh?

Anyway.. I think that's all...

ON WITH THE FIC!!

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Mark of Destiny

Chapter Four: ...By the fortress of light...

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"Who else is going?" Bulma asked excitedly as the two women packed her clothes.

"Well... You, me, Maico, and Rayne.. They're both rather sweet girls, and you should all get along quite nicely.. Of course, they're sort of workaholics, if you follow me, so there's a chance you won't be seeing them for a while. Now, hush and get back to packing.. Someone will be here in a few minutes to retrieve your things, and the last thing you want is to keep them waiting." Kyra answered.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Bulma rushed to open it, still in her robe, only to come face to face with Prince Vegeta.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Bulma cried as she grasped firmly at the flimsy robe, in a desperate attempt to cover herself from view.

"Woman, I can assure you, there's nothing under that robe that I haven't seen before." he spoke, his voice calm and collected. On the inside, however, was an ENTIRELY different story. To be perfectly honest, had be not had the control he had, his tongue would have dropped so far from his mouth that it would have reached the floor.

"I'm sure you have, sire." She replied dumbly, before yet again beginning to fidget with her robe. She finally realized that he was waiting for her to invite him in, and did so, quickly, her words coming out in on large burst. "Oh,I'msorrywon'tyoupleasecomein?"

He eyed her for a moment longer before stepping around her and into the spacious room. "Why does it not surprise me that Raditz gave you one of our best rooms?"

"I-I-I have no idea, my lord." Bulma replied, her eyes locked firmly on the floor.

"Indeed," He replied, before casting a look toward her bedroom door. "Kyra, by all means, if you're going to eavesdrop, then do so more quietly."

Kyra exited the room quickly, her face as red as a ripe tomato. "Pardon me, my lord. I was just leaving anyway..." She stated hurriedly before practically running from the room.

"So tell me, little minx, do you return Raditz' feelings? Or is he just a simple way to escape your...work?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Bulma snapped, before realizing what she'd done and bracing herself for death.

"Stop acting like an idiot and look at me!" Vegeta roared, for some reason distraught at the girl's fear of him. Bulma did as she was told, however, and looked, albeit reluctantly, into his eyes. "answer my question. Do you, or do you not return his feelings?" He asked as he walked toward her, eyes still locked firmly into place. He moved so close that their noses were practically touching, before cocking his head to one side, as if drawn by some outside force. They stood there for a moment, lips less than an inch apart, warm breath assaulting the skin of each others faces.. Vegeta finally leaned in, the gap between their lips growing smaller. Until finally, their lips were so close that...

And then the sound of a throat being cleared broke whatever spell had been weaved, sending them bother reeling backward. Vegeta caught himself about three steps back, but Bulma wasn't quite as lucky and fell unceremoniously into a heap on the floor.

Raditz stood nonchalantly in the doorway, arms crossed, eyes locked with the Saiyan Prince's. "Prince Vegeta." He spoke, but his voice held none of the almost friendly familiarity that it normally contained.

Bulma glanced between the two men quickly, unsure of what to make of the situation. She knew Raditz was debating fighting the Prince, and from the looks of it, Vegeta knew as well. Before Raditz could make a deadly mistake, however, Vegeta stalked past him, and into the hall, leaving Bulma alone with her Saiyan lover. She scooted back quickly, obviously frightened by the fire she'd seen burning in the pits of his eyes.

When he looked at her, however, his eyes softened, and he reached out a hand to help her to her feet.

"Raditz.. I don't know wha--" She began, but he cut he off before she could finish.

"Shh... It's in your job description, remember? I knew what kind of odds I was facing when I came here last night. I'd just hoped that he, of all people, never fell for your charm... that's all."

"But Raditz..."

"We'll talk on the ship. Oh, speaking of which, Prince Vegeta himself gave permission for you to house with me... If you want, of course."

"And you actually need to ask me that?" She replied with a smile, before leaning up and placing a kiss on the Saiyan's cheek.

"Let's get your things." He replied, before taking note of her attire. "And you might wanna change."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Vegeta stalked angrily down the hallf away from Bulma's room, and the utterly baffling situation that had taken place there. In all honesty, Vegeta would have fought Raditz, and won, had it not been for Frieza and the nearly unavoidable uprising of the Saiyan people. When that happened, they'd need ever bit of manpower they had...

And Raditz was one of the best.

He grabbed a case full of flowers from a nearby table and threw it to the other end of the long corridor, where it smashed into a thousand pieces. he growled at an onlooker, before continuing his angry stalk to his own chambers where he proceeded to sulk.

Yep, you guessed it...

Angrily.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kyra! You don't understand!" Bulma cried to her newfound friend.

"What's there to understand? You almost kissed Prince Vegeta! As long as I've been here, I've NEVER known Vegeta to call on a concubine... You must REALLY have intrigued him..." Kyra answered, before giggling like a preteen school girl.

"But... it was more than that! It was like.. like we had no say in the situation. Like something else was controlling us. Something one hello of a lot stronger than me, and I'd be willing to bet something stronger than him as well." She replied, her eyes taking a far off look to them.

"What matters is the end result... You. Almost. Kissed. Vegeta!"

"Yes, Kyra.. let's play rub the bad shit in Raditz' face game! Because, you see... Seeing her almost kiss Vegeta wasn't enough to kill me... I think you should rub it in until hearing about it does." Raditz spoke quietly, obviously hurt by the situation.

"Forgive me, Raditz... I didn't know you were standing there, and I meant no harm either way." Kyra apologized.

Raditz ignored her, however, and turned his attention back to Bulma. "Like you were being controlled?"

"No...Yes... Sort of.. I don't really know how to explain it.., It's like one minute I was me, then the next I wasn't me, but I was still me... And the other me was supposed to say something, but this me couldn't get it out... It's like I couldn't have left there... even if..."

"Even if you'd wanted to?" He asked softly, finishing her sentence for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yes." She answered truthfully, and whether she knew it or not, he was thankful for that. At least she hadn't tried to lie to cover it up.

"I don't understand what's happening... and I sure as hell don't like it." She whispered, before taking another look at Raditz' pained face. "I just need to be alone for a little while." She commented, before running from the room.

"Fuck!" Raditz roared, before pulling back to deliver a solid punch to the wall. He remembered, however, that he was no onboard a ship that departed in less than half an hour. If he busted a hole in the wall, the prince would use Raditz' ass to patch it.

Literally.

"Oh, get over it! You sit there thinking only of yourself, when she's tearing herself apart over what she THINKS she's done. It's such a shame this had to happen today.. The poor girl could use some happiness in her life.. She's been through so much already." Kyra reprimanded, before going back to unpacking her clothes.

"What would it matter if it were today, or next week? It would have hurt no less." Raditz answered, his voice troubled.

"Is that so? So, you mean to tell me that it hurt Bulma no more because today is her birthday?"

"Her birthday? I had no idea..." He answered.

"Figured as much." She replied smugly, before taking note of the grim look he shot her, and quickly attempting to remedy the situation. "All I'm saying is that maybe you should take into account the fact that she's not exactly thrilled about the way this is turning out either."

"Why shouldn't she be happy about it? She's managed to catch the attention of Mister Wonderful. Now she can run to him when she feels like being treated like a whore." He shot back without thinking.

"Is that what you think of me?" A voice from the doorway asked, and Raditz shot around, shocked eyes coming to rest on the rather unhappy face of Bulma.

"I didn't mean..." He began, but was quickly silenced by her hand as it connected with his face.

It's a well known fact that Raditz could dodge any attack Bulma threw at him...

But for some reason, he didn't. He stood there and did nothing as she slapped him, and even he had to admit, it hurt. Even if it was just a bit.

"You son of a bitch." She spat out before turning on her heel and marching from the room. She silently thanked Kami that her tears, both from the pain in her hand, and that in her heart, had gone unnoticed.

She glanced behind her quickly as she rounded the corner and headed down the hall. What she saw nearly caused her to turn back.

Raditz' hand was clasped firmly over his cheek, and his knees buckled, nearly sending him to the floor. A hand shot up to grasp the wall in a desperate attempt to steady himself, but after a moment he decided it wasn't worth the effort, and fell to his knees anyway, completely crushed.

She kept walking.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Raditz entered their chambers sometime later, still more than a bit distraught. To be honest, however, he was feeling more than a little better. After pounding the living hell out of more than one Elite Guard, his Saiyan instincts had kicked in, and he'd decided to take action, rather than sit around and wait for her to speak to him.

He'd just have to win back her trust, that was all.

He glanced at the clock in the small kitchen area as he walked past, silently praying to Kami it wouldn't be too late to carry out what he had planned.

10:15.

Plenty of Time.

He entered their bedroom stealthily, worry that she might not even be there setting in just as the door swung open. A quick glance at the bed, however, quickly quelled those fears, and helped instill a new sense of calm in the, until now, panicked Saiyan.

"Bulma?" He asked softly as he shook her arm. It looked as though she hadn't awakened, so Raditz decided to take a new approach, and gently ran his hand over hers, earning him a sharp gasp in reply.

She quickly jerked her hand away from his, and he gave her a dismayed look in reply.

Was it possible she was still that upset? So upset that she would recoil from his touch as if...

As if he'd harmed her.

It was then that he noticed two things about the hand she'd jerked away from him.

First, it was the hand she's slapped him with earlier.

Second, it was swollen to about twice the size as normal.

"Idiot female." He growled, before pulling her body into his arms and heading for the bathroom.

"What the...?" Bulma asked as she woke to find herself being lifted into a set of strong arms, and carried away from her warm bed.

"What in hell's name were you thinking?" Raditz asked gruffly as he deposited her on the bathroom sink.

"What do you mean what was I thinking?" She asked, confused, but confusion died out and quickly turned to pain as she tried to push off of the counter. "Fuck.." She mumbled, before reaching up to cradle her injured hand.

"You do realize how stupid it was to SMACK me, right? I mean, you could've done serious damage to your hand.. Provided, of course, that you haven't already. Next time, if you're going to hit me, at least throw some inanimate object. That way I'll be the only one hurt." He tried to joke, but his heart fell when she neither laughed or smiled... She just continued staring off into space. "Don't try to move... I'm gonna go call the Med bay. Hopefully someone's still there."

She never acknowledged him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After making the call to the medical wing of the ship, Raditz returned, only to find Bulma in the exact same position as she'd been in before, glaring at the wall, injured hand cradled carefully to her chest.

"Well, at least you listened." He mumbled, before walking over to her, and attempting to pull her closer to his chest.

She jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me." She growled, and it was all Raditz could do to not back up several steps at her tone of voice.

There was a buzz at the door then, and Raditz silently thanked Kami that he was able to leave the room. The situation between them was obviously worse than he'd first imagined.

He greeted the man at the door warmly, well, as warmly as one Saiyan can greet another. He motioned to the bathroom, and the Saiyan doctor followed, as did the two Saiyans who were currently wheeling the regen-tank.

"She's in here." Raditz spoke as he pushed open the door. However, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Bulma let out a shrill scream before backing up as far as she could on the counter. Her face paled visibly, and for a moment she actually thought she might lose consciousness. When she found her voice again, she uttered one of the many words that she hadn't been able to speak since the day her world had exploded.

"Goku?"


	5. Two worlds will shake

Hey guys! Long time no see, huh? :-D Anyway.. I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter.. And be sure to look around the site.. We've added all kinds of goodies!

If you want to be added to the update list, send a blank email to vegetas-princess-update-list-subscribe@topica.com

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mark Of Destiny

Chapter Five: ...Two worlds will shake... 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last time, on "Mark of Destiny":

_ Bulma let out a shrill scream before backing up as far as she could on the counter. Her face paled visibly, and for a moment she actually thought she might lose consciousness. When she found her voice again, she uttered one of the many words that she hadn't been able to speak since the day her world had exploded._

_ "Goku?"_

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Raditz merely stared at her for a moment as though she'd lost her mind, before glaring back at his father. "What's she talking about?"

"I have no idea.." Bardock mumbled, obviously puzzled.

Before she realized what she was doing, Bulma was off of the counter, and within arms distance of the stumped Bardock. "You're not Goku, are you?"

"Afraid not, ma'am.. Why don't you just sit back down so we can check that hand out?" He replied, in what he thought was an effort to placate a crazy woman.

"But.. your looks.. you look identical!" Bulma exclaimed, before a the proverbial light bulb once again clicked on over her head. "You're his father, aren't you?"

"Bulma, Bardock is MY father.. there's no possible way for him to be this... Oh Kami... you're talking about Kakarot." Raditz spoke, thoroughly astounded.

"She knew Kakarot?" Bardock asked, his attention in the matter having tripled.

"They were both on Earth... I guess I just never assumed they knew each other."

"Goku was a Saiyan?!" Bulma exclaimed, before realizing that she'd just interrupted the conversation the two were having.

"He was sent off planet as a baby... To purge the Earth, I assume. And you actually knew him?" Raditz asked, obviously slightly jealous.

"Well, yeah.. I knew him really well, actually... He was my best friend. We basically did everything together."

"Everything?" Raditz asked, his eyebrow cocked.

"Not that, you perv! I had a boyfriend, and Goku was...well... to be honest, too pure for me." (AN: Ok. I'd just like to point out how hard that was for me to type.)

"You had a boyfriend?" Raditz asked, the new information from Bulma obviously shocking him more than the fact that she'd known his brother.

"Can we get back on topic, here?" Bardock asked, obviously annoyed with his son's childish behavior. "Bulma, if you'll take your seat, we'll check out that hand, and then we can talk more about Kakarot." Bardock spoke, his voice betraying his obvious desire to learn more about his son. He turned to the other Saiyans then and drew in a deep breath before speaking. "Well, to be honest, the situation doesn't look to be anywhere near as serious as my idiot son described it to be. Frankly, I don't think there's any need for the tank. It would be almost pointless to use it, considering the fact that it's only her hand that was injured. Is that alright Miss Briefs?"

"Fine with me... I really don't have any desire to get into anything that small.. I'm claustrophobic." She explained, before realizing her close proximity to Raditz and backing off slightly.

Raditz took note of this, and with a heavy heart, backed away from her, the hurt obvious on his face. Bardock noted the obvious tension between the two, and with a roll of his eyes, turned to face his son.

"It's too cramped in here. Why don't you go wait outside?" 

Raditz glared at his father for a moment, before giving a small sigh, and exiting the room.

"Thank you." 

Bardock merely smiled at the small female, a rather uncharacteristic look for a Saiyan. He took Bulma's hand and turned it over, wincing once when Bulma let out a sharp cry. "I don't mean to be harsh, but Saiyan hearing is ranked among the best in the galaxy. If you're going to scream, do me a favor, and warn me next time."

Bulma merely nodded her head.

"The good news is, I don't think anything's broken. You've got one hell of a sprain though."

Bulma grimaced. "Am I going to have to wear a splint or something?"

Bardock gave a hearty laugh. "I don't think so... But, if it gives you any further problems, let me know, and we can figure something else out."

With a weak smile, Bulma thanked the man, before exiting the bathroom, and running promptly into her lover... Or former lover... Or whatever exactly he was.

"Sorry..." She mumbled softly, before moving to walk past him.

"Don't run.. not from me... I couldn't stand it if you did."

"I'm not running..." She replied, her eyes never leaving their resting point on the floor.

"Right, and I'm actually enjoying this."

"Enjoying what?"

"Enjoying the choice I'm about to give you." Raditz answered, his voice threatening to waver slightly at the end.

"And what choice might that be? Oh, let me guess, the choice of being in the room next time you decide to insult me?"

"You know that's not what I meant, Bulma. I meant that's what Vegeta would have you be." Raditz glanced away from Bulma for a moment to give his father a brief nod. Then, Bardock left the room, leaving the quarrelling couple alone.

"And what am I to you, Raditz? What do you consider me? Am I your girlfriend? Am I your whore? What am I?!" She screamed angrily, making Raditz wince a bit.

"I would've had you as my mate, Bulma, had you asked it of me. But since you haven't, then there's nothing I can do, except to give you this choice. Either stay here with me, as my mate or not, or leave."

Bulma's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "What did you say?"

"I said, either stay with me, or leave. The choice is yours. There's a small cargo ship departing at midnight. I've made an arrangement with the pilot for you to be onboard when it leaves."

Bulma made sort of a choking noise, before turning pleading eyes to Raditz once more. "I can go?"

Those three words broke the large Saiyans heart more than anything he'd ever heard. He never faltered, however, just gave a brisk nod.

"And you'll let me?" She asked.

Another nod.

She made a sort of a squealing noise, before literally throwing herself into his arms. 

"Oh Kami Raditz! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Without thinking, she pulled the man's face down to hers and captured his lips in a deep kiss.

One that he returned gratefully.

And rather passionately.

She pulled away abruptly, her bright blue eyes shining at him questioningly. "You would still have me? Even after all I've done?"

He never answered, just crushed her lips against his again. This time, however, his hands trailed across her shoulders, and then down her sides, coming to rest on her waist. In one swift motion, she had been lifted up to his chest, her legs wrapped tightly around his hips. She gave a strangled sort of cry against his lips, and only then did it dawn on him that he might've injured her hand.

"Are you ok?" He whispered softly, their lips never parting.

"Fine.. you just surprised me, that's all." She answered truthfully, as she brought her hands up to rest on his shoulders.

"Can I be with you again, little one?" He mumbled softly into her hair, before taking her earlobe into his mouth and biting at it gently.

Bulma gave a gentle sigh, before tangling her good hand into the Saiyan's hair.

That was all the clearance Raditz needed.

In less that an instant, Bulma found herself once again lying on their bed.

Only this time, rather than being covered by her warm, soft, blanket, she was covered by a warm, hard muscled Saiyan.

She quickly decided she liked the Saiyan better.

She didn't even hesitate before she began pulling at his shirt, her frustration quickly growing at the realization that she wouldn't be able to remove anything with one hand, much less the Spandex armor of a Saiyan warrior.

"I can't do it." She muttered softly, before glancing up at him, her eyes pleading.

Raditz merely chuckled slightly, before proceeding to rid both himself and Bulma of their clothing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

11:48.

Twelve minutes before she left.

Twelve minutes until he'd never see her again.

Raditz shook the woman that lay beside him awake gently. "Time to go little one."

Bulma shook her head sadly. This was what she wanted, wasn't it? Hadn't this been what she'd dreamed about since the day the Saiyans had first destroyed her home? She glanced at the clock. 11:50. No time to worry about her feelings now. She needed to get away from here. She needed to get away from the Saiyans, and their Prince, and Raditz.

She needed to get away from the things that made her feel human again.

There was no way she could love again. No way she could ever feel whole, or right about the situation. Her friends had given their lives in a vain attempt to save the Earth. She owed it to them not to fall in love with the people that had murdered them.

No matter whose orders they'd been acting under.

Raditz grabbed her arm, rather gently, and pulled her through the doorway and down the hall. As much as he wanted her to stay, as much as he wanted to beg her to remain with him, he knew he couldn't. She didn't belong here. She belonged with others that could love her.

Creatures that hadn't taken everything from her.

There was no time to reminisce, no time for second thoughts. If they weren't there when that ship departed, there would be no hope for Bulma to make her escape.. Not for a long time.

He smiled a bit. At least she'd always think of him on her birthday.

His smile quickly turned to a frown. Kami help him if she ever found out what would happen when Vegeta discovered she was missing.

Kami help him when she realized he'd given his life for her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It took less than a minute to reach the docking bay, and less that twenty seconds to get her settled into the cargo bay, where she would ride until the pilot was sure there was no way for the Prince to discover she was on board.

"Bulma, this is an old friend of mine," he spoke, before turning to face the older man that stood beside him. "Belloch, this is Bulma." He introduced them, before lowering his voice menacingly. "Protect her with your life, Belloch. If anything happens to her, it will mean your head."

Belloch moved to speak, only to be silenced once more by the Saiyan. "I don't care. Even if I'm not the one to do it, someone will. Her life and safety are all that matter to me now."

The man shook his head, before turning gentle eyes to the frightened human female. "Just sit tight Miss Bulma. It won't take us long to get far enough from the ship, and Vegeta's view for you to get out of this dusty old cargo hold, and up in the cockpit with me.

Bulma flashed the man a quick smile, before turning sad eyes back to Raditz. "Belloch, could we have a moment?"

The man nodded in agreement, before exiting the ship to do a last minute check.

"I'll miss you." She stated simply, before attempting to bite back that crystalline tears that welled up in her azure eyes.

"And I you, little one. Shed no tears, Bulma. Soon you will be back where you belong... Or at least where you can start a new life. A life more befitting a seventeen year old girl."

"So, you know it's my birthday then?" She asked with a sigh, before standing on her tiptoes, and planting a kiss on the Saiyan's cheek. "I'll never forget you, Raditz. Or everything you've done for me."

"Thank you." He replied simply, before kissing her forehead, and exiting the plane. He closed the cargo door behind him, leaving Bulma in total darkness, save the small rectangle of light that came from the door leading to the cockpit.

Then, Bulma Briefs allowed herself to cry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Raditz stood by to watch the ship depart the docks, before giving a sigh, and walking to Kyra's chambers. He gave a swift knock, before walking in.

He suddenly found himself very thankful that Kyra had been alone.

The thought had never crossed his mind that the woman might have been occupied with some... task.

"Raditz.. what brings you to my corner of the world? Wait.. is Bulma ok?" She asked quickly, upon noticing his saddened features.

"She's fine. Actually, she's probably better now than she has been in awhile."

Kyra eyed him warily. "You didn't kill her did you? Because if you did.."

"Now isn't a time for games." He reprimanded, before taking seat on the woman's bed.

"I wasn't playing. The last time I saw you two, you were fighting, remember?"

"She's gone." He replied simply, before running a hand through the top of his spiky mane.

"What do you mean she's GONE?" Kyra asked, her blood suddenly turning to ice.

"I sent her to Yardrat with Belloch."

"But she's coming back with him, right?"

"Belloch will return.. Bulma won't."

"Raditz.. do you know what's going to happen to you if Vegeta finds out you let her go?"

"I know exactly what will happen. And there's no if. I'm going to make sure Prince Vegeta knows exactly what I've done."

"And why in Kami's name would you want to do that?!" Kyra shrieked, before seemingly remembering the Saiyan's sensitive hearing.

"Because, if I can't live with her, then I choose not to live at all." Was the only reply he gave before exiting the room, headed in the direction of the Saiyan training grounds, where Prince Vegeta, and the other Elite guards would be training.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Less than ten minutes after takeoff, Belloch opened the door leading to where Bulma sat, and invited her to join him. She dried her eyes quickly, before ascending the small set of metal stairs.

"Raditz thinks a lot of you." Bulma spoke softly as she took her seat beside the older man.

"Raditz has always been a fine lad... What he's doing for you should prove that." Belloch replied.

"Yes, I suppose it does." She answered, before proceeding to stare out the window, into the dark recesses of space.

"You SUPPOSE? Kami girl, what does a man have to give up to please you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about? Raditz hasn't given anything up.. Nothing but me, that is."

"That should be enough. But then when you factor in what his punishment is going to be for releasing you.. I'd venture to say that giving his life for yours should be enough to at least make you feel SOMETHING!"

"What do you mean his life for mine?" Bulma spoke, her voice suddenly sounding less like that woman she'd become, and more like the frightened teenager she had been less than two months ago.

"So, he didn't tell you, did he? I'd guessed as much. I suppose since you're already off the ship it won't matter if I clue you in a bit."

Bulma nodded eagerly.

"The punishment for releasing a slave without royal consent is death. There is no other option. The only difference is that if he reveals where the escaped slave his hiding, his death will be quick."

Bulma had grown seven shades paler at mention of Raditz' death.

"Rest assured though Miss Bulma. Raditz will never tell your secret, just as I won't. Your life will be a long, healthy one."

She glanced at him, pleadingly. She didn't want to hear anymore.

Belloch either didn't understand, or didn't care. "Raditz' death will be long, and excruciating.. But he will carry your whereabouts to his grave."

Something within Bulma snapped then. Raditz, the only person that had cared about her since she'd reached the Planet Vegeta, was giving his life for hers.

That wasn't a debt she took lightly.

"Belloch, we have to go back."

"I'd guessed you might say as much.. But I can't return until I've gotten more supplies. Vegeta will have my head, and yours, on a platter if I turn back now."

"But.. how long will Raditz have?!"

"I can't say, my lady. That just depends on how long it takes for people to notice you're missing."

A slight amount of color returned to Bulma's cheeks then. "How long before we reach Yardrat?"

"Another thirty minutes there, plus fifteen to load up, and another hour back, provided there aren't any delays."

"So, two hours.. Raditz and everyone else should still be sleeping then!" She exclaimed happily, before something clicked in the back of her mind. "Oh Kami.. he's got training at one.."

"That doesn't necessarily mean they'll know you're gone." Belloch replied soothingly, before turning his eyes back to his controls. It would probably go better for Bulma if she DIDN'T know Raditz' plan. With a little luck, however.. maybe they could still get back in time to save him.

Or at least quickly enough for Bulma to say goodbye.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Go check out The WONDERFUL Raditz/Bulma pic that Maria S drew me! To see it, go to ; and leave her a review to let her know what you think about it!

Till next time!

Lovies!

~*VP*~


	6. Two worlds will fall

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mark Of Destiny

Chapter Five: ...Two worlds will fall... 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last time, on Mark of Destiny:

_ "That doesn't necessarily mean they'll know you're gone." Belloch replied soothingly, before turning his eyes back to his controls. It would probably go better for Bulma if she DIDN'T know Raditz' plan. With a little luck, however.. maybe they could still get back in time to save him._

_ Or at least quickly enough for Bulma to say goodbye._

_~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~_

"Prince Vegeta." Raditz greeted calmly as he entered the training grounds.

The Saiyan Prince lifted his dark eyes from the two guards sparring at one end of the chamber to look first at Raditz, and then to the clock hanging on the wall. "You're five minutes late." He replied, before glancing once more to the battling guards.

"I am. But I think you'll be able to appreciate why."

"Because you were so busy with your whore that you couldn't find time for your duties?" Raditz gave a smirk and moved to speak, but was quickly silenced. "I warned you when you asked permission to bring her that if she got in the way, she would be eliminated."

"That's not a problem, sir."

The look of surprise on Vegeta's face said more than anything else ever could have. "You mean to tell me you destroyed the little minx?"

The thought was so absurd to Raditz that he actually laughed in his Prince's face. "No, actually.. nothing of the sort. I did, however, release her sometime last night."

The room grew deathly quiet then, each man struggling to overhear the conversation.

"I'll ask you to repeat that, soldier. Kami shine on you if you said what I heard."

"I said I released her. I went over your head. I let her go. And you'll never find her. Anything else?"

Vegeta's face actually turned bright purple, then blue, then a lovely tomato red. "You two," He called to the nearest two guards. "Find the wench, bring her to me, and be quick about it."

The two men didn't hesitate before running quickly from the room.

Would YOU want to be the one to anger an already unhappy Saiyan Prince?

That's what I thought.

"I've already told you ..you won't find her."

"Maybe, but I don't see you managing to get her off the ship. There's no possible way you could have gotten her away from here."

"You'd be surprised what you can do when no one else is around."

"And how, exactly, would you like me to believe that, when there's always an elite on guard at the docks?"

"Guess he can't do his job." He replied with a smirk, before crossing his arms in a truly Saiyan manner.

"Nappa," Vegeta called to the large bald man, who was currently leaning against a wall, less than ten feet away. "Find out which guard was on duty last night, and bring him to me."

"That won't be necessary," Raditz interrupted, his smirk never fading, "I can tell you exactly who was on duty last night."

"Well then, let's hear it."

"Me." He replied simply, before proceeding to laugh.

Which was quickly silenced as a large ki blast connected with the side of his head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Belloch! Can't this thing go any faster?" Bulma cried, before giving an exasperated sigh.

"Bulma, dear, I'm going as fast as I can. You estimated the trip yourself at two hours."

"I know, but estimations aren't set in stone! You could completely prove me wrong.. I promise not to care!" She replied impatiently.

"Bulma.. I don't want you to get your hopes up. It's possible they've.. already discovered you're missing."

"But, how would they..." She began, before the overwhelming urge to vomit overtook her. "Oh.. he wouldn't.. He can't TELL Vegeta! He'll.. Oh Kami..."

"It would have been better for everyone if you'd stayed on Yardrat." He replied sadly, before glancing out of his window, into the deep recesses of space.

Fifteen more minutes, and they'd be home.

But would that fifteen minutes mean death for Raditz?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At that moment, all Raditz could do was pray for death.

Which he did.

Death would end his suffering. It would stop the pain of losing Bulma. Stop the pain of having her leave. Stop the pain of, again, having to lose his mate.

Old memories were hard to bear, so Raditz repressed them instead. More mental pain was the last thing he needed right now.

Though, mental pain was really the only thing he felt.

The physical pain barely registered.

He decided that he must've been in shock.

Because there should have been pain... lots and lots of pain.

His wrists were badly burned where he'd been ki bonded to the wall, and his right arm was broken, of that he was sure.

Unless, of course, the large, jagged piece of bone sticking out of it was a normal thing.

Raditz felt rather safe in assuming that it wasn't.

"You know this is pointless, Raditz." He heard Prince Vegeta speak. His eyes were swollen nearly shut, and whatever light managed to sneak through them sent only distorted and cloudy images to the large Saiyan.

"With all due respect sir, fuck you." Raditz replied, before forcing his smirk back onto his face.

It was then that a kick to his head shattered his jaw.

He merely attempted to spit out what he could of the blood that accumulated in his mouth, before giving a grotesque sort of smirk.

If this was the penalty he deserved for taking Bulma's home from her, then so be it.

His pain was for her.

As was everything he'd lived, and now, would die, for.

The smirk faded into a sad smile.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Belloch docked with the larger ship exactly 14 minutes later. He threw abandon to the wind as he landed, never once stopping to consider the fact that not applying the brakes while landing a flying object on another flying object was a bad idea.

He gave a sort of chuckle.

He hadn't flown this way since his daughter had been born.

It was good to know he was still as sharp as ever.

It took less than a minute for Bulma to climb out of the ship, and take off running down the hallway, a look of sheer determination playing across her features.

Belloch merely stared at her retreating form, before opening his mouth to call out in annoyance. "That's not the way to the training grounds!"

The reply he received was jumbled due to her distance from him, but he could clearly make out the word "plan".

Kami help him if that girl failed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"All you have to do is tell me where she is. A few simple words, and you can die with what little honor you have left."

Raditz attempted to throw an obsene comment at the man, but it merely came out as a short "mmumk juu.." He sighed. It was hard to be threatening when you couldn't threaten.

"Prince Vegeta, we've located the concubine." One of the guards called out, before pulling a nearly nude Bulma, and...

BARDOCK?

Into the room.

"I DEMAND to know what in hell's name is going on!" Bulma cried, clutching tightly to her only protection from humiliation, a thin white sheet, apparently taken from Bardock's chambers.

"You'd do well to demand less and explain more." Vegeta replied calmly, before casting a look over to Raditz.

The other Saiyan was crushed.

His head rested on his chest, his swollen eyes forced completely closed.

"I'd love to explain, Prince Vegeta.. but I honestly have no idea what's going on." Bulma lied, though her face never showed it.

"Well then, let's hear what I'm sure will be a FASCINATING tale."

Bulma merely shot him a questioning look in reply.

"Raditz tells us that he allowed you to escape last night. Is this true?"

"With all due respect, your majesty, Bardock's quarters are lovely.. But I'd hardly call them an escape."

"Well then, why would one of my Elites feel the need to lie about such a thing?"

"I'd tell you to ask him, but seeing the way he looks right now, I don't think he could talk if he wanted to."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"No, I don't suppose it does, Prince Vegeta." Bardock broke in, obviously eager to get as far away from the situation as possible. "But, I have a theory, if you'd care to listen."

"Oh please, enlighten me."

"Bulma's hand had been injured yesterday, so I went to check on her. When I got there.. I.. well.. Seeing.. I mean.. Ah hell.. LOOK at her!" He exclaimed, before making several wild gestures to the other Saiyans.

There was a murmur of agreement.

"She saw me, and proceeded to scream.. evidently, she thought I was an old boyfriend of hers, or something to that effect. After a moment of discussion, we figured out that her boyfriend was my son, Kakarot." 

Vegeta quirked an eyebrow.

"I invited Miss Briefs to my chambers this morning to chat about Kakarot. I had no idea my son was so enamored with her, your majesty."

"That still doesn't explain why you're both naked, and Raditz is telling me that she's escaped."

"I'm getting there. Raditz went practically insane when I mentioned my quarters. He threatened to remove his protection over Bulma.. They quarreled, and we left."

Raditz' heart fell even farther. Could they not have just left him to die?

"And the naked part?" Vegeta asked, his eyes darting back and forth from Bulma to Raditz.

"Well.. I was in need of.. comforting, I suppose..." Bulma replied, her eyes focused firmly on the floor.

Vegeta's smirk widened. He turned to Raditz then, eyes shining with childish mirth. "Your non-whore has decided her lifestyle for herself, it seems."

It was all Raditz could do to keep from lunging at the man.

"Clear the room! And for Kami's sake, get him into a tank, he's bleeding all over my floor." He spoke after a moment. Bulma nearly cried out from joy. "And for the sake of all things holy, Bardock.. put some clothes on. The LAST thing I want to see is your aging ass."

Bardock gave a small smile to the Prince, before departing, leaving Bulma and Vegeta alone once again.

"How stupid do you think I am?" He asked after a moment, once he was sure everyone had departed."

"Not stupid at all, sir." She replied honestly. This had been the reply she'd expected, after all.

"You know that if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I'll kill you, right?"

Bulma merely nodded in reply.

Vegeta glanced at the scantily clad woman for a moment, before rolling his eyes, and removing his cloak. He draped the velvet material over her body. He turned away from her then, lest she see the slight crimson color that stained his cheeks.

Prince Vegeta, it seemed, was new to the concept of compassion.

"I asked you on Vegeta-sei if you returned Raditz' feelings. I guess all I needed to do was wait." Vegeta remarked after a moment, before crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall.

"I owe Raditz my life, sir. That's not a debt that I take lightly."

"Granted.. But I think you've got that backwards." He shot back, before taking a seat on the floor, his arm draped over his knee.

"How's that?" She questioned. After only a brief moment of hesitation, she walked over to the wall, where she too took a seat.

"It's now Raditz that owes you HIS life."

"Then my debt to him is repaid. But now it seems I'm indebted to you instead."

"True. And rest assured that one day I'll collect on that."

"Yes, you will. I know that.. Though, to be honest, I'm not sure how I know.. I just.. do. And when that day comes, I will gladly repay it. Like I said before, that's not something that I take lightly."

"Why did you let him go?" She asked after a moment, before bracing herself for the verbal berating that was to come.

"You." He began, before pausing, as if to make sure he was wording it right. "Selfless acts aren't common among my people. I've never seen someone willing to sacrifice that much pride over something like him."

"Oh..." She answered, before a puzzled look crossed her features. "But, if you knew.. why didn't you kill me?"

"Because you tasted your freedom, and you still returned, I suppose." He answered as if he'd never even thought about it before. "So tell me, how did freedom taste?"

"Salty." She replied without ever missing a beat. "Then again, that might've just been my tears." She added in her mind.

Bulma glanced at the Saiyan Prince for a moment, before giving a small sigh. "Think it's safe for me to leave now?"

"That anxious to get away from me?"

"Frankly, yes."

Vegeta actually laughed. "You perplex me, little minx."

She gave a small smile, before climbing to her feet, and heading for the door, only to be stopped again by the voice of the Saiyan Prince.

"I wouldn't be so quick to go out there if I were you. Seventy Saiyans just left this room.. how many do you think are still out there, waiting to get a shot at Vegeta-sei's new whore?"

"Sixty-nine." She replied, before proceeding to blush furiously.

"My guess is seventy." He answered, before again taking a seat on the floor. Bulma followed suit a moment later, her sheet still clutched tightly to her body.

A comfortable silence fell over the two for several minutes, before Vegeta rose to his feet and extended an arm to her. "It should be safe for you to return to your quarters now."

The blue haired woman removed the cape from her body, and moved to return it to him.

"Keep it on. I daresay it would cause a commotion if you walked around the halls dressed as you are."

"You don't like commotion?" She asked after an uncomfortable moment of his heated stares.

"Only when I'm causing it." He answered, before glancing at the door at then back at her.

She took that to mean it was time to leave now. She placed a hand on the control panel for the door, and took a step outside.

And was promptly attacked by seventy Saiyan Elites.

The Saiyan No Ouji gave a shocked cry, before running into the hallway in search of the blue haired concubine. He roared to the Saiyans to back off, but only a few did as they were told. The rest, instead, continued attempting to win the rights to Bulma.

By the time he found her, her clothes had been ripped away, and she'd curled into a tiny ball to protect herself.

Vegeta blasted the nearest man to her into oblivion, sending the others scattering in any direction that they could. He then leaned over the tiny woman.

"Well... breathing is good.." He muttered softly, before drawing her nude form into his arms, and taking off at a full fledged run toward the sick bay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Raditz was just emerging from the tank when disturbance in another part of the medbay caught his attention. Whoever it was was obviously shouting, but the thick steel door separating the rooms made it nearly impossible to make out what was being said.

Raditz was completely dry, and clothed, when the door slid open, and in ran the entire medical staff, his father included.

He made sure to send the man a dirty look.

Bardock merely glanced at his son for a moment, completely perplexed, before giving him a get-the-hell-out-of-my-way look.

Raditz stood his ground.

It wasn't until Prince Vegeta's voice caught his ear that he looked away from his rather unhappy father.

And straight at a battered and naked Bulma, clutched tightly to Vegeta's chest.

Had the Saiyan Prince not been holding something so precious to him, Raditz would have attempted to take the man's head off.

"What in fuck's name happened?" He roared after a moment. Upon receiving a reply from no one, he grabbed his father's collar, and pulled him eye level to him. "What happened?"

"She was attacked after she left the training grounds. After humiliating herself for YOUR worthless hide.." Bardock replied, before wrenching himself free of Raditz' grasp.

After they'd gotten Bulma's tank programmed, and her placed safely in it, Raditz turned to Vegeta, his eyes burning with unabashed rage. "Gee, how convenient that she should be attacked when you were the only one in the room."

"I'd be careful what kind of accusations you make, Raditz. The little minx has saved your pathetic ass once today.. I wouldn't press my luck when she's not around."

"She's not your whore, Vegeta." Raditz snapped angrily, before forcing himself to look away from his Prince, lest he suddenly develop the ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes.

Suddenly, that didn't seem like such a bad thing.

"Apparently, Raditz, she's not yours either." Vegeta answered, his voice calm and collected. 

Vegeta then left the room, leaving a slightly torn, but hardly worse for the wear cloak behind on the bench beside the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Prince Vegeta was angry.

Angrier than he'd been in quite a long time.

And he didn't even really know why.

All he knew was that he was angry, and that he wanted to blow something up. Combined with the fact that he was a Saiyan Prince, those traits made for a rather deadly combination.

He gave a small smirk, before re-entering the Elite training area.

Every man that had been present before Bulma was attacked stood at attention in the middle of the room, their fear evident by the looks on their faces.

The Saiyan Prince drew in a deep breath, before glancing around to the men that surrounded him.

It looked as if he wouldn't have to curb the urge to blow something up after all.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bulma emerged from the tank four hours later, looking as healthy as she ever had. She took the towel Bardock handed her gratefully, before wrapping it tightly around her body. It was then that she noticed that nearly twenty other regen tanks surrounded the area where she stood.

And every single one was occupied.

"Feeling better, I trust?" A voice from behind her sent her whirling around, only to bring her face to face with none other than Raditz.

She made no move to answer, just secured her towel again, and headed for the door.

"Bulma.. Prince Vegeta left this for you." Bardock called to her before she could reach the door. "And if you'd allow me, I'd like to offer you an escort to your chambers."

She nodded gratefully, but still didn't speak.

She never looked back in Raditz' direction as she left the room, nor did he attempt to follow her. He instead stomped off toward Kyra's room, his face contorted in an angry snarl.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He returned to the chambers he shared with the blue haired goddess several hours later, feeling only slightly better.

Kyra had told him that he had no right to ask, or expect Bulma's forgiveness.

And she was right.

He'd broken a promise to her.. A promise to keep her safe, and well.

He didn't need her to forgive him anymore. It was just another burden cast onto his shoulders.

Now all he needed was for her to understand why.

The door slid open silently, and he stepped into the pitch black room.

It took him less than a second to realize that she was gone.

As were all of her belongings.

The only thing she'd left behind was a note lying on the bed. He picked the paper up, his scowl deepening as he read.

_Dearest Raditz,_

_ By now I'm sure you've noticed that I'm not here. At the moment, even I don't know where I'm going. Rest assured, however, that I am somewhere on this ship, and will remain here._

_ To be honest, I have no idea why I'm trying to pretend that I'm not hurt._

_ Because I am._

_ You told me that you were giving me my freedom, when all you were really doing was to weigh me down with more grief and heartache._

_ Raditz, you've given me so much in the short time that I've known you.. And I will be eternally grateful for that._

_ I can't risk staying with you, however, because when I'm around, all of your better judgment seems to fly right out the window._

_ And you know I'm right._

_ I love you dearly Raditz, and you will always remain in my heart._

_ Always,_

_ Bulma_

"So, that's it then.." He asked the empty room, before crushing the paper into a ball, and hurtling it toward the wall.

"I'm afraid so..." A voice from the darkness spoke.

Raditz' head shot around as quickly as possible.

She stood in the doorway, the floor length white dress she wore lending her an otherworldly appearance.

"I'm sorry, Bulma.." He spoke as he moved toward her, only to give up when he saw her back away.

"Please try to understand, Raditz... I would never hurt you... Not in a million years..."

"Then why?" He asked, his voice low and solemn.

"Because while I could never hurt you, I could also never watch you hurt yourself."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" He snarled, his eyes flashing brightly.

"I didn't come here to argue with you, Raditz. But, I see now that I shouldn't have come at all. I won't make that mistake again. Take care..." She whispered, before turning around and walking back down the long corridor.

Raditz gave a slight growl, before taking a step backwards, into the shadows.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


	7. And then will come one

I have absolutely no idea why this chapter isn't editing correctly... kicks If it's showing up all whacked out on your computer too, then head over to h t t p : w w w . f f u m p . n e t and check it out over there. Just click the fanfiction link on the left hand side of the page, and you can either find the story under recently added, or use the search engine to find me. My name's Vegetas-Princess there as well. Again, I apologize for the really jacked up formatting, but it's not my fault :-D

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Mark of Destiny

Chapter Seven: And then will come one

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"Please try to understand, Raditz... I would never hurt you... Not in a million years..."

"Then why?" He asked, his voice low and solemn.

"Because while I could never hurt you, I could also never watch you hurt yourself."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" He snarled, his eyes flashing brightly.

"I didn't come here to argue with you, Raditz. But, I see now that I shouldn't have come at all. I won't make that mistake again. Take care..." She whispered, before turning around and walking back down the long corridor.

Raditz gave a slight growl, before taking a step backwards, into the shadows.

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Bulma awoke the next morning, feeling more than a little drained.

To be more than honest, running away from her captives, saving Raditz, and narrowly avoiding.. whatever Vegeta had saved her from... had done more than drain her.

It had sucked every bit of life out of her.

Perhaps that was why she tossed her alarm clock across the room, completely forgetting about her new found room mate.

It wasn't until she heard a dull thunk, followed by a shrill shriek and a smack to the back of her head that she realized she had probably caused Kyra at least a small amount of brain damage.

"Jesus, kid.. You could at least warn me next time you're going to hurtle a foreign object across the room at me." The other woman mumbled as she headed to the bathroom, rubbing gingerly at the back of her now throbbing head.

Bulma gave a sheepish grin, before rolling back over onto her back and giving a deep sigh.

"Raditz..." She mumbled softly, before rolling her eyes and crawling quickly out of bed. "Kami, Bulma, use your head for once," She berated, her face burning a deep red color, "You're the one that left him, remember?"

She hadn't even realized that she'd been speaking aloud, until she noticed that Kyra had emerged from the bathroom, and was currently staring at the younger girl as if she'd completely lost her mind.

"Sweetheart, if you're regretting the fact that you left Raditz, then go back to him, I'm sure you'd get no objections on his part." She replied, before beginning to rummage through her closet, a determined look settling over her features.

"It's not that.." Bulma began, but quickly thought better of it. How in Kami's name was she supposed to explain herself to someone, when she wasn't even sure what the hell was going on in her head in the first place.

"I know it's not, Bulma, that's why I didn't question it. I can't say I'm happy about you leaving his protection though. You realize that means I'll have to put you back on the roster tonight, right? And after all the commotion you caused when you left Prince Vegeta yesterday, I daresay there'll be quite the crowd searching for you tonight." Kyra answered quietly, her determined look quickly melting into one of unease. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try to make sure you go somewhere good tonight, I promise."

"This is what I decided on, Kyra. I already knew what would happen to me if I left Raditz.. I knew, and I did it anyway." The younger girl spoke, her head lowered slightly to hide the unease that she was almost positive could be easily seen in her blue eyes. As much as she tried to make it seem so, this hadn't been an easy decision for her to make. Not in the least bit. And the more she thought about it, the harder it actually seemed to get.

Kyra, however, understood perfectly what the younger girl was going through, and refused to let the situation die, no matter how much it seemed that Bulma just wanted to forget what was happening. She opened her mouth to speak then, still unsure as to what, if anything, she could say to comfort the girl that she had come to look upon as a daughter.

She never got the chance to speak, however, her reply having been suddenly cut off by a shrill metallic voice.

"All hands report immediately to B deck, Prince Vegeta will begin the debriefing and landing procedures shortly. Repeat, all hands report immediately to B deck. That is all."

Bulma's eyes widened a bit. "Are we really on Namek already?"

Kyra merely chuckled. "Not too likely. We should still have another day or two before we breach Namekian atmosphere. It's more likely that we're stopping somewhere along the way to pick up the rest of the supplies for the trip.

Upon catching sight of Bulma's arched eyebrow, Kyra decided to continue, a slight hint of amusement still left on her face. "I'm sure you've noticed how much a single Saiyan can eat, yes?" She waited for Bulma to nod that she understood, before continuing, "Well then, imagine how much a ship full of Saiyans eats. Now imagine how much fuel it would waste if they carried all of that food with them. The sheer weight of if would be mind boggling. So, they generally wait until the last possible second to gather the last of the supplies. I guess they figure that any speed that they can prevent losing is worth it, or something to that effect."

Bulma's eyes widened some more, before a devious smirk crossed her lips. "Kyra.. how would I go about getting an audience with the Prince?"

Kyra merely looked confused for a moment, before shrugging and rolling her eyes. "I still don't get you two. But, whatever suits your fancy, I suppose. I can call his quarters, if you like, but I doubt if he's still there, not with the debriefing and what not going on. We're permitted to attend the meeting though, so if you don't mind your words being spoken on a more public level, you can talk to him about it there."

Bulma looked more than a tad bit spooked. Speaking in front of the same group of Saiyans that had just spent a good few hours of their lives in a tank because of her didn't really strike her as too smart of an idea. Not at all.

But those that know Bulma Briefs, both now, and then, could tell you that she never has been a person to do the logical thing. Besides, if this worked, then there was a VERY good possibility that she wouldn't have to follow through with her original duties aboard the ship. And that, as nearly anyone could tell you, was enough of an idea to make anyone smile.

"I don't see why what I need to talk to Vegeta about can't be said in front of the others.. though even I have to admit that I'm kind of nervous about giving a speech as important as this one, in the same room that I KNOW Raditz is going to be in."

"Raditz has had a hard life, Bulma.. Well, ok, that's probably not the best comparison, considering what you've gone through as well.. but try to hear me out. Raditz lost someone very important to him, to both of us, actually, several years ago. He hasn't been the same since. I think he clings so tightly to you, because he doesn't want to have to go through that again."

Bulma sat there for a moment, obviously letting the new information set in, before turning eyes that were much too wise for her age back to her surrogate mother. "Was.. was she Raditz' mate?"

Kyra gave a quick nod, before raising a hand to stop the barrage of questions that she was sure would follow this new turn of events. "The rest is for Raditz and Raditz alone to tell you. I've treaded where I didn't belong enough, for now at least. My advice to you would be to seek him out and ask him, however. Getting even a tiny bit of what he's kept pent up for so long off of his chest might make life at least a tad easier on him."

Bulma sat there for a moment, before nodding. "Yes, I think you're right. There's never any hope of there ever being anything more between us than friends.. but I think I at least owe him the opportunity to explain.. whatever it is that he needs to explain. I'll go speak to him after I talk to Prince Vegeta." She nodded then, as if to confirm it, more to herself than the room's other occupant.

"I'd say, Miss Briefs, that that is a marvelous idea." Kyra agreed, before giving a small laugh, and gesturing to the other girl's clothing, or t-shirt and boxers, whichever you prefer. "Though, I do think that, just perhaps, you should wear something a bit more appropriate when addressing the prince."

Bulma merely blushed a deep scarlet color, before scampering off to the bathroom to change.

Kyra's eyes deepened then, and her smile faded. Fate had dealt that one such a cruel hand.

It was too bad that Kyra, and a Saiyan known as Bardock were the only ones that knew what was to come.

And they both knew far too well that it was something that was never to be spoken of.

Not if they wanted what was best for their people.

Not if they wanted the prophecy to be fulfilled.

It was just such a shame that that girl would have to lose so much, for the happiness of a race that she could care less about.

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She had pretty much already guessed that most of the Saiyans would still be more than a tad bit miffed about what had happened the day before.

Miffed would be an understatement.

She could feel every pair of eyes fall on her as she entered the room, and it was all she could do not to shiver under their intense glares.

So.. they were all here then.

Some stood straight and tall, their bodies never leaving their position as they saluted the Saiyan Prince, even if their eyes did have the tendency to wander in her direction when no one was paying attention.

Some were glaring.

Some were ogling.

Some were.. bleeding?

Still?

Oh Kami.. they were going to kill her.

She was going to die.

She audibly gulped.

It was then that she noticed a familiar head in the distance.

So, all eyes weren't on her then.

Raditz wouldn't even turn to face her as she entered. Not that she had actually expected him to, or anything..

But still, that didn't make the sharp pain that traveled up her spine lessen any.

She thought quickly back to her conversation with Kyra. Raditz had lost someone important to him once.

Judging from the way that Raditz was turned away from her, his back rigid, it was slightly more than obvious that the same thing had happened to him for a second time. But, she'd have to worry about that later, when they were alone, and she could find out what it was that had caused him so much grief in the past.

Now was most definitely not the time to speak to an ex love about the skeletons in their closet.

Now was more the time to attempt to appease the angry Saiyan prince that was glaring at you like you'd grown an extra head.

"Begging your pardon, your highness.. but I think I might just have a way that I can be useful.. not to mention save my own ass in the process." She began, before wincing slightly at her wording.

Talking about your ass when you were in a room full of sex crazed Saiyans was probably not the way to go.

"And...?" Vegeta's voice reverberated off of the steel walls of the room, causing Bulma to jump slightly. Somehow, he seemed a lot more frightening now that her clothes were back on.

Whatever sense THAT made.

She waited for a few moments before realizing that that was all the clearance she would get.

She cleared her throat before continuing. "Before I was taken from Earth.." She began, fighting back the tears that sprang unbidden to her eyes at the memory, "Before I was taken, I lived at the Capsule Corporation. We specialized in a unique form of packaging, called capsule technology."

"I'm not seeing what this has to do with us, Miss Briefs." Vegeta began, before sending her a slight smirk. "Or with your ass, for that matter."

"Capsule technology's development is complicated and irrelevant, so I'll spare you the details on that... But what I CAN do is show you." She pulled a small pill shaped object from her bra, much to the amusement of everyone in the room.

She noticed briefly that even Raditz had turned to see what it was that she was rambling on about. She gave a small smile then.

She'd be sure to give them a good show then. She depressed the small button atop the capsule, and tossed it into an empty spot on the floor. There was a great puff of smoke, and a small hissing sound, and then all was silent. With the exception of several confused murmurs and shocked gasps from those that had just experienced her father's wondrous invention for the first time.

It wasn't some great ship.. It wasn't even a motorbike. It was merely a suitcase.

An empty one at that.

But judging from their shocked gasps, and the looks plastered on their faces, they couldn't have been more impressed anyway.

Not surprisingly, it was Prince Vegeta who spoke first, his voice not belying any of the trace amounts of curiosity that you could see rather plainly on his face.

"Quite impressive, Miss Briefs.. Though I'm STILL not gathering what this has to do with us."

It was all the blue haired Earthling could do to keep from rolling her eyes. "You can't transport enough food for an entire mission, right?"

Vegeta merely nodded.

"Well then, the first thing that comes to mind for its use would be to store food, weapons, things like that in. Currently there aren't any refrigerated capsules.. But if you'll give me some time with it, I think I can probably come up with something. In the very least, you could store dried goods, and other non perishables in there for the time being."

Vegeta didn't move a muscle for at least a full minute, his eyes locked firmly on the face of the blue haired scientist in front of him.

He had never heard such a ridiculous claim in his entire life.

It REALLY, REALLY made him want to listen to her.

If for no other reason than the fact that he was positive that there would be hell to pay when he got home and his father caught wind of this.

Vegeta loved commotion, you see.

Especially when he got the upper-hand in causing it.

Fine. I'll give you a month, wench. One month to impress me with your.. talents." He cast a knowing smirk then. He could almost feel Raditz' eyes drilling white hot holes in the back of his head.

This was going to be even more fun that he thought.

"If, after one month, I'm not entirely pleased with your progress, or if I'm bored, then I'll have you sent back to the harem's, and you can take up your fate with the first idiot that decides to take you home for the evening. Do I make myself clear?"

Bulma nodded hastily in reply, the breath that she hadn't even been aware she was holding rushing out in one swift "woosh".

"Now, is there anything else I can do for you, or would it be ok for me to get back to the urgent business my men and I were discussing before you decided to interrupt?" That was a lie, and everyone in the room knew it. They hadn't been discussing anything when Bulma had entered. Vegeta himself had only been in the chamber for about thirty seconds before her, after all. The most interesting conversation that had been taking place was the rumor that the blue haired girl was to become the royal concubine, serving both the prince, AND the King of Vegeta-sei.

Raditz had been quick to correct that one.

With a few well placed punches to a few rather unlucky noses.

It was then that the Prince had entered, raising an eyebrow in question at the three men with blood gushing out of their noses. Though, he did have to give them credit. They were still doing everything in their ability to salute the prince, and act as though nothing in the world was out of the ordinary.

Judging from the smug look that Raditz was shooting in his direction when he entered, he was more than a bit positive that the third class bastard had been responsible for the bloodied elites.

Shaking his head a bit to bring himself back to the present, he was more than a bit shocked to find that when his mind had wandered, evidently his eyes had as well.

At least, that's all he could assume happened, considering that he had been look Bulma Briefs squarely in the eye a few minutes ago, and now, for some odd reason or another, he couldn't see anything but breast.

He could, however, still hear.

The distinct murmur of the Saiyan elites as they gossiped about why in the world their prince would attempt something as low as to stare, quite openly mind you, down the shirt of the very woman that had caused so many problems barely a day ago

The distinct growling of a rather angry Third Class Saiyan that didn't seem to think that Bulma's breats were anything to stare at.

And the distinct heartbeat of a rather flustered Bulma briefs.

It was this one that made Vegeta's smirk return.

If the way her heart was racing was any indication, then the little minx was MORE than enjoying the attention she was recieving from him.

Allowing his eyes to linger just a few moments longer than he knew he should have, he brought his gaze slowly back up to her face, noting with a great degree of amusement that her face greatly resembled a cherry.

She didn't, however, look pleased.

If Vegeta couldn't still hear the racing of her heart, then he might've been able to convince himself that he had merely been hallucinating before, that she had never actually shown any signs of wanting him at all.

But even now, as she struggled to maintain the infuriated glare that she was currently sporting, he could hear her heart racing, and see the quick but steady rise and fall of her chest as she attempted to catch her breath.

Like she knew she shouldn't have been involved in this staring contest with someone like him.

Hmm.. Interesting indeed.

He smirked at her for a moment more, before giving a slight nod of his head. This small movement seemed to have broken the spell that had been woven over her, and she blinked a few times to clear her vision, before turning on her heel and stalking from the room.

Anyone who had seen her from the back would have assumed that she was merely pissed at the world.

Anyone who saw her from the front, however, would have seen the most confused, bewlidered, and frightened face that Bulma Briefs had ever worn.

"Just what in Seven Hells was THAT?" She asked aloud once she was sure she was out of earshot of the Saiyan Prince.

Why was it that nearly everytime she was around the man, she felt like she couldn't control herself anymore?

Or even more frighteningly so, why in Kami's name was she beginning to question whether she'd control herself around him, even if she had been able to?

It was all she could do to repress a shudder.

Maybe Kyra would know what was going on.

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It shouldn't have shocked anyone when Raditz opted to stay behind after the other Saiyans had cleared out. His eyes were locked firmly on the profile of the Saiyan No Ouji.

Again he found himself wishing that he had laser vision.

That would have been so very, very helpful at this juncture in time.

"Tell me, will you ever stop staring? I know I'm pretty, but I hardly feel that you're my type, Raditz." A voice spoke, startling out of the day dream he'd been having about chasing Vegeta around the room, bright purple lasers erupting on contact with the walls, floor, and ceiling, just barely missing the desired target, Raditz cackling maniacally in the background... It was a good dream.

"I could ask you the same thing about Bulma." The third class warrior replied after a moment, clearly having taken a momeny to choose his words. He remembered quite well the last time he had been too hasty in the comments he made.

Oh yes, he remembered it QUITE well, thank you very much.

"Hmm.. correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the little one remove herself from your protection?"

"That doesn't mean that I'll let anything happen to her. Just because she doesn't want my protection doesn't mean that I'll stop giving it." Raditz shot back, a look of pure defiance plastered across his features.

"You know, you're not being entirely fair to her." Vegeta began, only to be cut off again by a warning growl from the other man. This amused the Saiyan Prince to no end. "You think this a game, Saiyan? I could rip your head off before you even had the time to process that I had moved, do you understand me?"

Raditz merely nodded. He knew without a doubt that the Saiyan No Ouji wasn't bluffing.

Raditz made a move to exit the room then, obviously deciding that staying in the room with what was looking more and more to be his rival, might not be the best idea in the world if he wanted to live past his twenty-sixth birthday.

He had made it nearly out the door when a voice from behind him stopped him.

"Can you honestly tell me that she doesn't remind you of Maria?"

If Raditz hadn't been so sure he would lose, he would have lunged himself at the Saiyan Prince just then. Instead, he did the smartest thing he had done all morning.

He kept walking.

Vegeta merely smirked. So it was true then.

Well now, wasn't this just delicious.

Suddenly he found himself wondering if Bulma had any idea who Maria was.

Or why Raditz seemed to have taken such a shine to her in such a short span of time.

His smirk widened then, into an all out devilish smile.

If the blue haired minx had been confused about Raditz before, he couldn't wait to see what this latest tidbit of information would bring to their already dying relationship.

And of course, as the Saiyan No Ouji, it would be his responsibility to step in and help her to pick up the pieces.

Ok, so maybe it wouldn't be his responsibility, per se... But that didn't mean that he wouldn't do it anyway.

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Raditz knew he should have seen that one coming.

After all, with the circumstances that had surrounded her disappearance, anyone would have been curious.

But even if he should have been expecting it, he wasn't.

Sure, she reminded him of her a bit...

Only in the way that she always put others before herself.

And in her smile.

And her laugh.

The way they kissed.

And the way they threw their heads back when he entered them.

The way his name rolled off their tongues as they climaxed.

And in the way that..

Oh.

Bloody.

Hell.

Had it really gotten that bad?

Had it gotten as far as that without him ever noticing or acknowledging it?

When had he stopped distinguinshing between the two?

When had Bulma, and Maria ceased to be Bulma and Maria?

And simply become the same person.

This was fucked.

Perhaps it was time to have a long conversation with Bulma concerning a certain past relationship? Yes, that seemed like the wisest thing he could do at the moment.

But first.. perhaps a short prayer was in order?

After all, he was fairly certain that no girl in the world would ever enjoy hearing that her lover.. or ex lover.. or whatever, was having problems distinguishing her from his wife.

Perhaps a long prayer would be wiser.

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A knock on Bulma's door at 2:00 called her attention from the blueprints she had been looking at.

In all honesty, she had been grateful for the distraction.

It was quickly becoming fairly obvious that her father had been a much greater genius than Bulma had ever remotely given him credit for. The plans she had been able to work up for the refrigerated capsules were more difficult that she ever could have imagined them being.

She rubbed her eyes to refocus them, before lying her pencil back down on the table and heading for the door, a slight small formed on her lips.

It didn't matter who it was, being able to talk to anyone would have to be better than being alone, talking nonsensically to herself.

She pulled open the door and quickly changed her mind.

Once she figured out who it was standing outside the door, Her eyes narrowed slightly, her lips changed instantly from a small smile, to a straight line.

"What?" She snapped, her expression never changing.

"We need to talk." Was the only reply she recieved before the man on the other side of the door muscled his way through the door, leaving a bewildered Bulma to close the door in his wake. She shook her head slightly before turning back to the room behind her.

Oddly enough, the only thought she had as his lips crushed against hers was that he wasn't really as tall as she remembered him being.

After a moment though, that thought faded away, leaving Bulma with two much more complicated questions.

How long would it take her to get his clothes off?

And what was Raditz going to say when he found out?

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From her place on the other side of the door, Kyra couldn't help but smile.

So far, so good. Everything was going exactly as Bardock had prophecized.

Her heart fell again, however, when she heard the fall of footsteps on the cold metal floor of the hallway. So it was true. The beginning of the end was starting now.

Raditz would inevitably put into motion the events that would either mean the ultimate destruction, or the ultimate survival of the Saiyan people.

The only part that made her nervous was the fact that for everything to go smoothly, Raditz would have to be completely honest with the poor girl inside the room in front of her.

He rounded the corner just then, his eyebrows arching up a bit in suprise when he saw her standing there in front of her own door, obviously spying at whatever was going on inside.

She didn't give any indication that she knew what was happening within the room, however. She merely steeled her resolve and pushed her key into the lock. She pushed the door open with a shaking hand.

And did the best she could to ignore the strangled gasp that sounded from behind her.

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Ok.. so, yeah. I'll give a cookie to the first one that figures out who it was that she was kissing :-p Sorry to all you Rad/Bulma fans.. but sadly enough, it just has to happen.. sniffles

And special hugs to Maria. Long time no see :-D

Hope everyone enjoys! And erm.. well.. it's actually starting to look like the plots going to be picking up rather quickly after this one. Actually, if everything goes according to plan, then there should be exactly 12 chapters left, for a grand total of 19. There may be less though, depending on how fast the plot starts moving.

Thanks for reading!

Vegetas-Princess


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